Carrot Cake Muffin Cookies

Hello,

We made it through Monday!  Hooray!  I have to say it’s turning out not to be such a bad day!  It rained and I mean rained today, but by the time I got home from work it cleared, now I’m all happy again.  Amazing how the weather sets our moods.

This weekend I made these terribly addicting cookies.  You know me I wanted something light, tasty and guilt-free.  Actually, it was a toss up between carrot cake muffins or carrot cake cookies, and I decided on cookies.  I found this recipe in my Better Homes and Garden Magazine and thought I’ll give them a try.  Was I pleased with the outcome.  I got a muffin cookie!  I got the best of both worlds.  Muffin cookie your wondering, yup!  I modified the recipe a bit, by cutting down on the sugar by 1/2 cup and using margarine instead of butter.  You know me and calories, well to my surprise I ended up with muffin top cookies! Yah!!!

My first batch I didn’t add any sugar on top and they came out kind of plain, but on my 2nd batch I added Turbinado Sugar and they turned out perfect!  They really taste like muffin tops.  These do not taste like a cookie to me.  There very soft, but chock full of walnuts, raisins and carrots.

The recipe said it would make about 36 cookies, by dropping a teaspoon on the cookie sheet, and I did just that and ended up with 64 cookies.  There calories were 96 and mine were only 36.  I have no idea how I did it!  No clue at all!!!  But I’m happy with that and totally guilt free!!!

Carrot Cake Raisin Muffin Cookies – Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, soften (I used brumble & brown)

1/2 cup brown sugar (they said 1 cup)

1 Tbsp. maple syrup

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg or substitute

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 cup finely shredded carrots (about 2 medium)

3/4 cup raisin

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (recipe calls for 3/4 cup, but I only had half, add more)

1/2 Tbsp Turbinado Sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds.

Add brown sugar, maple syrup, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Beat until combined.

Beat in egg, applesauce and vanilla. Beat in as much flour as you can with mixer. Stir in remaining flour, carrots, raisins, walnuts just until combined.

Drop by slightly rounded teaspoons 2″ apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with Turbinado sugar. Bake 8 – 10 minutes or until edges are firm. Transfer to a wire rack: cool.

Makes 64 cookies

Calories per cookie:  36,  Fat:  1.3,  Cholesterol:  0,  Sodium:  61,  Potassium:  27,  Carbs:  6.3.  Fiber:  .07,  Sugar:  2.3,  Protein:  .06

If you really wanted to make them more muffiny, add a cream cheese frosting.  I bet that would be good!  So if you like carrot cake, you will love these cookies.  But take in mind there really not like a cookie!!

Well my friends it’s Monday night here and I have to make myself dinner and I always bake bad for you cookies for my Hubby to take to work, but I’m thinking maybe brownies instead, well see!!!  Have a great day!!!